Dementia Friendly Hartlepool

Martina Kane, Senior Policy Adviser at the Alzheimer's Society, is one of several leading figures demanding more support for people living with dementia and those who care for them.

Speaking as the BBC reported that dementia is now the leading cause of death, she said: "It is essential that people have access to the right support and services to help them live well with dementia and that research into better care, treatments and eventually a cure remain high on the agenda."

Aware of this need, The Sound Doctor, the UK's leading provider of film and audio content about health conditions, has created a world-class film-based guide to dementia.

Produced in conjunction with Newcastke University Institute for Ageing and with support from the Academic Health Service Network, the films enable patients, carers and relatives to understand the condition better and face the day-to-day challenges the disease presents.

Professor Louise Robinson, Professor of Primary Care and Ageing at Newcastle University Institute for Ageing, worked closely with The Sound Doctor to both create and clinically review the films. She said: "Patient information is critical for anyone living with or caring for people with dementia. The Sound Doctor's films provide an excellent resource, covering every phase from understanding dementia and initial diagnosis, to planning ahead and living through the later stages. There are also valuable chapters for people caring for people with dementia."

Chapters in the guide include:

Understanding dementia

Symptoms of dementia

Discovering you have dementia

Planning ahead

Caring for someone with dementia

Living well with dementia

Speaking to the introductory film to the series, Dr Lynne Corner, Director of Public Engagement at Newcastle University Institute for Ageing, said: "There's a lot we can do to help people live well with dementia for many years, but it is important to access the right support."

Rosie Runciman, co-founder at The Sound Doctor, said: "With dementia in the news for alarming reasons at the moment, we want people to know that they can access quality patient information about the condition in a format that's easy to follow and act upon."

The Sourand Doctor has a library of more than 250 films covering six key areas of health - COPD, diabetes, back pain, dementia, heart failure and weight management surgery.

The Sound Doctor also produces health and wellness animations, many of which are used in GP surgeries across the country.

The Sound Doctor's five main aims are to:

reduce the number of avoidable admissions (and readmissions) to hospital

reduce the need for face-to-face contact with consultants, physicians, nurses, physiotherapists and others - and to improve the quality of meetings that do take place

improve medicines management and compliance with medications

improve the quality of care for patients (and patient experience of their care)

help people get the most out of life through effective self-management

The Sound Doctor's films are endorsed by leading charities and adhere to NICE (The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guidelines.